Added to inquiry!
DOCUMENTARY

New Life Blossoms in an Old Village:
Seven Years of Struggle and Hope

DOCUMENTARY 2013 48 mins Episode(s): 1 English English
The aging of Japan's population is steadily hollowing out the country's agriculture.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, a struggling farming community in Ishikawa Prefecture called Sugaike began trying to attract young residents. Hiroyuki Yago is one of the people who came. He moved from Osaka to Sugaike in order to grow organic vegetables, but there wasn't enough farmland available to rent and he has trouble making a living. Nevertheless, the locals have accepted Yago as one of their own, and he intends to stay. By 2012, there were three new families in Sugaike; abandoned land began to spring back to life, and a local dance festival that had not been held for 10 years was revived. Yago was there at the center of the dancing, cheered on by joyful longtime residents.

This program chronicles seven years in the life of a young man, who wanted to start a new life in the countryside by joining a community that is trying to adapt to the consequences of Japan's aging, shrinking population.

  •  

    Omanto Festival -Land on This Horse-
    2018 30 mins

    [Festivals of Japan Season 2] The Omanto Festival of Aichi Prefecture is a much-loved festival passed down since the Edo period. The highlight of this festival is held at a circular run where young men display their courage by jumping onto horses traveling at 40 km/hour. The locals of this...
    more details
  •  

    Ofune Festival -Parishioners Who Support the Festivals-
    2017 30 mins

    [Festivals of Japan Season 1] The Ofune Festival is held at the Suwa Taisha (Suwa Grand Shrine) in Nagano Prefecture every fall. During the Senzasai in spring, the sacred dolls of the old man and woman are carried from the Fall Shrine to the Spring Shrine. However, in the Ofune...
    more details
  •  

    Living together with the God of Wetland: the Red-crowned Crane Kushiro city, Hokkaido Pref.
    2014 30mins

    [Beauty of Japan Season 1] ‘Tanchozuru’, or red-crowned cranes, are designated as a special national monument which are seen in Kushiro wetland. In the Ainu language, they refer to this elegant and graceful bird as the 'sarurun kamuy' (god of wetland). The camera follows those working to preserve the environment,...
    more details
  •  

    Okinoshima
    2017

    2018 World Media Festival Intermedia-globe Silver  Okinoshima is not only an island of national treasure but also designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its beauty and history. This documentary expresses the beauty of nature on the island and the treasures found there, and also follows the lives...
    more details